Fiber-to-the-home or Fiber-to-the-premise (FTTH, FTTP, or FTTx) systems are broadband communication solutions that have quickly become a preferred technology for delivering bandwidth-intensive data such as pictures, video and Internet services. The systems are currently in deployment throughout the U.S. and other parts of the world. There are a number of options for deploying fiber, such as running fiber cable aerially from the existing utility poles, or burying cable straight into the ground or in existing or new ducts.
Various methods can be used to deploy fiber cables in an FTTx system. Feeder cables may run to a Multiple Dwelling Unit (MDU) or be buried underground or be placed into ducts. The feeder cable can be split into a group of distribution cables that each ends at a fiber distribution terminal (or access terminal). The distribution fiber cables may be buried underground, into ducts or run aerially between utility poles. Drop cables may also be buried underground or into ducts or run aerially between the utility poles.
There are different drawbacks to the above methods. For example, aerial deployment may be impractical because existing utility poles are full or the owners of the poles may not permit fiber to be strung on the poles, or there is simply no aerial facilities in many suburban areas. New aerial deployments may not be permitted due to zoning or other regulations.
Burying fiber underground may not be feasible in many situations. Typically in urban areas, fiber cable needs to be buried under a roadway anywhere from several inches up to 3 feet under the surface. Heavy equipment is required to cut through the asphalt, concrete or tarmac, and debris must be removed before the fiber cable is deployed in a trench. After the deployment, the trench must be covered and the road surface must be restored. Thus, burying fiber cable using traditional technologies and restoring the road surface often requires considerable effort and time, and may be prohibitively expensive. Furthermore, traditional burying technologies bringing along loud noise, debris and dust, can cause significant community disruption to traffic and residents. Many municipal governments have become increasingly reluctant to allow carriers to excavate streets and require permits to excavate in limited construction windows which can delay deployment of the cables. Traditional burying technologies also cause difficulties in maintaining the fiber network because excavation and restoration are often required to locate and repair a faulty point.